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Maud Van Houten
((OOC Note: The following is not to be used in any IC (In-Character) way unless otherwise stated by the character's player. Meta-gaming is not tolerated. Rumors may be used freely IC.)) Maud Van Houten Maud Van Houten was born in Risskov, Denmark on September 8th, 2008. She's the only child of Nikolai Van Houten and Eva Koning. Nikolai - a screenwriter of moderate success for the local production company in Rossov, and Eva - an optometrist, lived simple lives in the small town of Rissov, oftentimes visiting Maud's grandparents for weekend family dinners or outings. The Van Houten clan was very united, and Maud relished being able to spend the evenings and weekends with her grandparents. As her family knew nothing about magic folk, she grew up only knowing the muggle way of life. There were, however, certain times during her infancy when Eva, who spent the majority of her time with Maud, noticed odd occurrences around her home. Her lipstick would go missing. Her cellphone would disappear from her nightstand in the middle of the night. She thought nothing of it though. Blamed it on being preoccupied. Aloof. Her first showing of magic, witnessed by her mother, happened during a trip to the local park. As Maud and Eva walked, she asked her mother if she could pick a few spigs of lavender. As it was a botanical garden, her mother told her she couldn't pick any of the vegetation. Maud wasn't having it, however, and in a matter of moments, flowers began to swirl around the two, gathering up into a near bouquet before Maud. Eva, shocked at this show of magic didn't know what to make of this. It would be weeks before she would stop pestering Maud about her abilities. When Maud received her letter from Hogwarts, a school official visited her family home, giving her family a chance to understand what their daughter was. Thrilled, both Nikolai and Eva fully supported Maud's new life, taking her to Diagon Alley for her school supplies and learning about the magical world's currency and terminology. The first time visiting Diagon Alley, Maud was able to choose her pet. She walked into the Magical Menagerie, hoping to find an owl as her pet. She had her eyes set on a small and chubby snow owl, and she would have taken it home with her, but at the last moment, the owl bit her pinky finger, leaving a small scar which one can still see today. Eva, worried for how aggressive owls could be, suggested a small brown rat napping by the display window. Maud reluctantly agreed and brought it home, naming it Truffle. To say it was difficult to have Maud away from home for the entire school term is an understatement. It was for this reason that the Van Houtens made it a point to travel with their daughter every summer and winter break. Most vacations were taken to foreign countries, and it was a visit to America the summer before her fifth year that changed something for Maud. The Van Houtens had decided to spend a month in California. Maud had always shown interest in the state, and also hoped they could get in touch with some of the American witches and wizards from Ilvermorny school. It was during the second day of her stay in California that she met a boy. As she crosses the boardwalk on Venice Beach, she spotted a small group of surfers and decided to peek. Surfing wasn't a thing in England, so Maud was fascinated by the sport. She stood next to one of the boys who had stayed behind on the beach and they introduced each other. His name was Benjamin and he was tall, his skin was golden from the sun, and his hair was as black as coal. Slowly, the paid warmed up to one another and by the time the sun had begun to set, they'd talked about everything under the sun. It would be this boy's company that kept Maud happy and smitten during her time in California. It wasn't until the end of her trip that Maud began to worry. She knew she wanted to keep in touch with Benjamin, but corresponding in the magical world isn't the same as in muggle world. Scared, Maud sat down with Benjamin at the beach and revealed her secret. To Benjamin's delight, he too, was a wizard! It was from this moment - August 12th, 2024 - that Benjamin and Maud began a relationship which spanned continents. Their letters would be sent over through muggle mail, which in turn would be mailed by the family's newly acquired owl. Both Maud and Benjamin write each other twice a week without fail, and Maud considers him the love of her life. Upon returning from California, Maud continued her exercise regime, running daily to prepare for Quidditch try outs. She asked her father for a top of the line broomstick, which he denied her buying until she had officially made it onto the team. Hogwarts Years 1-4 Maud entered the Great Hall without having the slightest clue about which house she wanted to go to. Her lack of preference for any one house made the task of assigning her quite difficult for the Sorting Hat. Her sorting lasted four minutes and forty four seconds, in which the Sorting Hat had a lively debate about which two houses fit young Maud best. It's been reported that the Sorting Hat teetered between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, as her traits seemed to be favorable to either. It was Maud's tenacity and eagerness to prove herself a true witch that landed her in Gryffindor House. Academically, Maud excelled almost instantly in Charms - something which surprised her, as she has always doubted her magical abilities. Much of her first year was spent second guessing herself as nearly everyone around her excelled in Potions, Transfiguration and History of Magic. As the years progressed, so did her confidence and sense of purpose. Charms continued to be her strongest subject, followed closely by Transfiguration. Her ego had grown, and she quickly began comparing her skills with those of pureblood status, oftentimes making comments about her superior dueling abilities and natural knack for wandwork. Such was her dedication to academics that it slowly began to affect her health. By the time 4th year came around, Maud had gained weight, and her complexion had deteriorated. She'd spend most of her time in the library, pouring over mountains of books - away from the sun. She remained cheery and confident, though she suffered in silence. Things turned around towards the end of her 4th year, as she had decided she'd had enough. The last couple of months at Hogwarts, she began to run rigorously, shunning all snacks and treats. Her routine changed and she ditched the books for fresh air and running sneakers. Over the summer, Maud had managed to lose a significant amount of weight, becoming very health conscious. Year 5 Maud began the school year with two goals in mind: to make it as a Beater for the Gryffindor Quidditch team and to prank as many people as possible. She's usually seen running around the castle drenched in sweat. During her second week at Hogwarts School, Maud, accompanied by Adrienne Gabe and Molly last name here successfully broke into the Potions classroom and, with Maud as the ringleader, "borrowed" potions ingredients for a hair changing brew Maud wanted to attempt. Her goal was to permanently change her hair color from red to black. Maud brewed the potion in the abandoned girls bathroom, and after 3 days, tasted it. To her surprise, her hair turned neon pink. Mortified, Maud made her way to then infirmary where the matron, fed up with the amount of mischief in the castle, told her she'd have to wear her hair like that until the effects wear off. Maud now walks around the castle with a hat on her hair, fake eye bags, and a story about a rare 'confetti virus' that causes your hair to change color. She's been fake sneezing and coughing, which has caused mild panic among Gryffindor House. Possessions * Hunger Potions * Energy Potions * Hermes travel size perfume * Chapstick * Coin purse * Pet rat Abilities & Skills Charms WIP Potions WIP Transfiguration WIP Herbology WIP History of Magic WIP Physical Appearance Maud has straight, strawberry blonde hair down to her shoulders. She's fit for a girl, and moves like an athlete with a spring in her step. Her eyes are pale gray and seem to glow under the moonlight. She's usually seen around school in her workout getup. She hardly ever dresses up. She's developed small callouses on the palms of her hands from training on her broomstick all summer, in preparation for Quidditch. She's got a clear complexion and has a scar on her knee cap which resembles a bullet wound as well as a faint scar on her left pinky finger from an owl bite she received the summer before her first year at Hogwarts. Personality Maud likes to joke around with people to make them feel at ease around her. She's private, however, and doesn't divulge personal details about herself to anyone besides her family and friends. She's confident and has no problem making self deprecating comments about herself, especially when threatened or teased. She's impervious to bullying and typically refrains from making fun of others. She's extremely confident, though makes sure to keep herself in check, so as not to come off as arrogant. She's stubborn, is -always- smiling. If you see Maud with a frown or acting morose, it means something is seriously wrong. She's not afraid of anyone or anything. She loves a challenge, no matter how ridiculous it might be. Maud hides any signs of discomfort or annoyance behind humor and a curt smile. In fact, you'll find it's quite difficult to catch Maud being serious about anything. Ever. Maud is an expert in hiding her true feelings from mostly everyone around her. She's a great friend to have, and will lend an ear to anyone who needs to unload her troubles, but she will rarely delve into her own worries and anxieties. Don't let that fact fool you into think Maud is innocent and clueless. If crossed, Maud can be a potential force to be reckoned with. Using her charm and playful banter as a cover, Maud is able to manipulate most everyone she comes into contact with. Whether she chooses to manipulate a situation or person is up for interpretation. She doesn't care about what people might think of her, which is quite liberating for Maud. She's taken advantage of this and feels free enough to speak her mind frequently. She's straightforward and confident over her own abilities and skills, which make her a bit arrogant. She doesn't address her flaws and rarely recognizes when she's made a mistake or has done something she shouldn't have. She has very little remorse and has no problem breaking rules or causing chaos for her own entertainment. Strengths * Perseverance * Outgoing * Playful * Rational * Forgiving * Humble * Funny Flaws * Self depricating * Arrogant * Overly competitive * Stubborn * Proud * Rebellious * Poor swimmer * Overconfident * Audacious Favorites * Maud is a skilled cook and loves to watch Gordon Ramsay when she's back at home for the holidays and summer vacation. She's attempted several of his recipes with resounding success. She's particularly proud of the fact that she does not use any magic when cooking. * Quidditch. She's become set on the idea of making it in this year's team, focusing all of her free time to training for a Beater position. She's become quite strong and can hit a bludger with striking force and precision. * American music. Maud loves pop music, especially from the states. She thinks English pop is garbage. Relationships Denna Glaus WIP Otter Glaus WIP Adrienne Gabe WIP Rumors "Did you see Maud at the lake? Proper fit, tha' one.I heard she lost like 30 pounds or something." - An observant Ravenclaw. "I heard Maud's brewing a highly illegal potion in the girl's bathroom on the 2nd floor corridor. I heard she boarded up the bathroom herself to keep snoopers out." - A clueless first year Hufflepuff. "Her eyes glow in the dark!" - A clueless Gryffindor. "She's always running up to the owlery sending letters. Who does she write to so much?" - A nosy Gryffindor. OOC Notes Maud Van Houten is played by Dylan Druth. She's been a part of Mischief Managed on and off for the last three years. It is extremely important to note that any and all actions carried out by Maud Van Houten do not, in any way, shape or form, reflect the thoughts and feelings of Dylan Druth. All IC interaction remains in character and is completely separate from the person playing Maud.